


Liberation

by Terond76



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character Death(s), Triggers, Unconventional Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 08:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4599666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terond76/pseuds/Terond76
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kougami, I am so proud of you." She sniffled a bit as she spoke. "You are a wonderful person who is missed and loved by all who surrounded you. However, you became so much more. You aren't just a liberator—you're a friend, lover, and idol to many." Shinkane, mentions of Ginomika. Rated Teen for violence and suggestive material.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Liberation

Liberation

Again I saw her sliding into the old timey espresso shop that had been remodeled recently. Of course she didn't recognize me. It was so long ago when we last saw each other. Akane was the only person I would ever want in my life until the end of my days, but here she was in front of me—but my body could not move towards her. I quickly stepped into the espresso shop located next to our 'beloved' MWPSB, and seated myself quite far away from her once I noticed she had a guest with her.

Akane was now standing to meet with Gino, my old partner and now good friend with our dear lady Inspector. She was now hidden behind Gino's new burly form, and I could hear them speaking with one another.

"Hey, Nobu!" Akane exclaimed while shaking hands with him, and then pulling him forward in a hug. Things were different these days . . . no one needed regular scans or Psycho-Pass treatment—it was a free world. Gino growled with frustration at his nickname.

"How's did the divorce pan out, huh?" Akane questioned with strain in her voice. Something was wrong with her, but how could I know if I haven't been by her side for the past year? I could've been there . . . I spectated as Akane guided Gino to be seated in front of her.

"Well turns out it goes a lot easier than you would think." Gino said with a boisterous laugh. I had never heard him laugh like that in years. He must be really happy . . . "So, uh—" Gino started with a cough. "Still missing, Ko, these days?" He added quickly.

My eyes widened at my own name.

"Of course, Nobu. How could I not? He was also the man that gave us our freedom, you know?" Akane grimaced as the waiter set down her order. It steamed heavily and flowed towards her nostrils as she lifted it towards her face. I inwardly started smiling at my proven thoughts.

I let out a proud scoff at my own name being used. The table next to me looked everywhere around me in anger at the loud vexation my vocal chords caused.

"He did a great thing you know, Akane. He helped everyone of Japan, he gave his—"

Akane swung her hand up to stop him from speaking. I watched as Ginoza closed his mouth quickly, and nodded an apology. He fiddled with the napkin in his lap before swishing his hair out of his eyes. I could see the pain in her eyes, I knew I caused that pain. I'm such an idiot. I should've told her what I felt about her. Not showed her in stupid ways . . . however she did love the dinner I planned for us once we finally could be with each other—not as Inspector and Enforcer, but as normal people. I could see now that the light was glimmering off the dog tags hanging around her neck.

Then Akane and Gino abruptly got up, and left the shop in a hurry. I sighed, and slumped back down in my chair. Coward . . .

I started to get up, but a man decided to place himself right upon me while I was still in my chair. I grunted while sliding out of the booth. He rubbed his arms harshly and ordered a hot coffee immediately. I strutted out into the rain, and wandered the new and improved city of Tokyo. All the cameras had been ripped down and the streets free of those annoying Psycho-Pass bots. The people seemed happier, and I knew my work had been for a good cause. The city shined brightly as the sky darkened, and grew livelier as the young crowd made their way to their evening activities. I was only interested in going to one place.

I then saw her old apartment in my sights after walking around the city for a good hour. Akane had herself perched on the railing just staring out into the night sky. She didn't look a day older, her hair had grown longer and seemed to fit her face easier. She only had on a robe that barely covered her legs . . . I wondered how she was keeping warm up there. She then roared out something and grasped the rails tightly with her feminine hands.

I rode the elevator up to her floor, and stepped out cautiously into the corridor. I tipped-toed silently to her apartment, and noticed her door was slightly open. I pushed the door in a smidge, and slipped in through the crack. The door closed behind me with a quiet click. I started my roam across her small living room. I could see all the memories she was harboring especially the cigarette smoke emitting from the kitchen. She had only started smoking because of me . . . something I always regretted. I remember the day I saw her after our separation, the way her fiery eyes glared into mine as we had a standoff across from each other. I never respected her more than when the barrel of her gun was point towards me. She had grown and continued without me. She was such a woman of strength.

I spotted pictures of the old days, back when we were a team. I remembered the day we took the division photo, and how Gino snapped at me when I ruffled the cute Inspector's bobbed hair. A few more photos of over the years of her and Gino and one of Gino's wedding to Mika, the rookie Inspector. I never understood why Gino married her because of Mika's betrayal to Akane . . . it was something I couldn't even forgive her of. Luckily, Gino wised up and left the tyrant, Mika. I knew during the first year of their marriage it was rocky when the truth was blurted out during a drunken night out and a black eye handed out by Akane . If the Sibyl System was implemented I was sure Akane's Psycho-Pass would've gone up a bit, but I erased that horrid system from us. I did it for her, so I could be with her again and make Sasayama proud of my work on the Sibyl System and Akane—mostly Akane. He would've accepted her with open arms, I'm sure of it. Finally a tiny photo perched on one of her deceased parents. This one had been taken only a year or so ago. It was the last time we saw each other.

I was clad in my normal combat boots along with a green jumpsuit. Gun strapped to my thigh and a shit eating grin plastered on my face as I held Akane in my arms. She was leaving to go back to Tokyo to deal with the downfall of Sibyl, but I knew I couldn't let her get away with at least trying. I remembered the way she melted into me when I pulled her into the searing kiss that I had been dying to give her, and then the pain of the punch from Ginoza's mechanical arm cracking against my cheek. Gino sure got an ear full from Akane after he almost dislocated my jaw.

Her own clothing almost matched mine in the picture, but she had a worn and tattered NPC vest on. She looked up at me with almost the same expression as our foreheads rested together. I remembered the old man who had taken our photo had remarked about how lovely of a couple we were, and the blush that had crept up onto Akane's face at the comment. That smile and blush was forever burned into my mind, and I always thought back to it on the days depression crept into my mind.

I saw a few receipts strewn across her desk so I started rummaging through them. All of them were from the hospital and a few prescription notices written out from Dr. Saiga. Another was from the hospital about an emergency room visit about a slight over dose on Akane's part. What had she been doing to herself these days? It was recent too.

That was a year after we parted . . . Akane entered the room with the grace of an angel, and sat again on the balcony. Completely ignoring my presence.

She started singing about nothing in particular, but I knew she was upset, the wavering in her voice was obvious and the scattered tissues all around. She had to be ever since I was no longer in her life and she no longer in mine. I moved towards her slowly, and leaned against the threshold of the sliding glass door just gazing at her. The wind softly swished her hair back and forth, and I could smell her shampoo wafting in the air. It was addicting, just like her.

"Shinya, I know you're here." She whispered as a chilling breeze struck her and shivered in protest. I wanted to give her warmth, but I didn't know how she would react if I stepped closer.

I didn't answer her.

"You're gone, but I can't help think of you every day, every hour, and every minute of my existence. What you did for us was the ultimate sacrifice, but was it worth it in the end to lose you?" She choked out while beginning to dry sob.

I was about to respond, but she sighed and hiccupped before she stood.

"My life has no meaning, Shinya. I know we betrayed one another often and even lied, but that didn't stop my love for you." She put one foot on the bottom rail.

"The reminders have been too much lately of you . . . the smells in the air, people, even myself. You kept my life going through those years, when I knew you are actually here. But now . . . what's to live for when my purpose has ended?" She sort of laughed while moving her left foot to the railing.

"You were everything to me, and all you have done is bring suffering into my life." She commented before slightly backing up, and using the momentum to project herself from the balcony. However her body never made it past the rail because my shrill scream of her name stopped her. I leaned down to her ear as I placed my hands on either side of her own on the railing, and I could feel her shiver when my breath washed across her face.

"Don't do this, I am so sorry." I whispered, and pressed my face would have been pressed against her hair if she didn't have her head turned. I could see the cold tears running down her cheeks and the jerks of her sobs.

"I can't live like this, Shinya. I miss you so much—it hurts."

"Then live, for me. This world still needs you."

"Why did you have to die?!" She cried out, and I backed off right as she pushed off the railing. I knew she could see me now. She turned on her heel quickly, and grasped her hair with a harsh pull.

"You can't do this to me, Shinya! You can't keep coming into my life—even as a ghost!"

"But I love you,"

Her breathing stopped as she heard my words. She had never heard them spoken aloud before. She rested her back against the freezing metal railing, and cried harder. I went to touch her, but my hands only went through her arm, grasping at nothing but air. She looked down to my translucent arm, and cried out as she hugged herself. I wished at this moment I could take her in my arms and absorb her pain, but that was the downside to being dead—wandering around aimlessly watching all the pain in the world.

"Please, Akane . . . just live for me. Be my wonderful Inspector that you always have been." I pleaded with her. "What you are doing here isn't what, Inspector Akane Tsunemori would do. She would straighten her chin, and spit on the devils haunting her."

I could see the slight smile appear on Akane's face and her cheeks turned rosy. I stepped closer to her body and poked my head just low enough to see below her bangs that were shielding her eyes from me.

"Just, please, come inside. Talk to me for a bit." I grinned down at her to ease her emotions, and bowed before her and held out my hand. There it was again, the musical sound of her laugh. I gazed at her as she slightly curtsied before me, and then glided past me to her living room. She took a seat on her couch, and I followed suit and placed myself next to her.

I longed to touch her skin, but I knew my ghostly hands would just slip right through her body. I could make myself do certain things such as sit on furniture or open doors, but I haven't been able to touch a living soul. I had met a few wanderers that could touch people they knew, but they said it meant they would have to gather all their energy at once, which took a while to learn. I have only been like this for a year.

I could see she wanted to lean into me as well, but she understood the physical barriers that we had to deal with. She sighed loudly before sort of laughing, and pivoting her head to glance at me. "This is crazy, I can't believe I'm really talking to you even if you are part of my imagination."

I wanted so badly to correct her, but I doubt skeptical Akane would really believe I was here. Was her sanity this broken? My mind was jumping back and forth, would I allow this charade to continue or let her know the truth? My thoughts was interrupted when I heard Akane clear her throat. I whipped my head towards her, and I could sense she was feeling uncomfortable.

"What is it, Akane?" I pressured as she reached forward to the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. She grasped one single cylinder, and placed the end in her mouth. The lighter flicked to life with the touch of her thumb, and the smoke lazily dripped from her nostrils as she exhaled.

"How did it happen?" She questioned.

I was puzzled by her question, and quirked my eyebrow at her in question. "What do you mean, how did it happen?"

A few more tears slipped through her eyes, and I shushed her as she began sobbing once again. The fiery tip of her cigarette was shaking violently as she whipped her head to look me directly in the eyes. "How did you die?"

I panicked immediately, I didn't want to unfold the gruesome tale of my ending. It would be too much to bear . . . would she believe me since I was just 'a figment of her imagination'? She was a fierce woman, and she protected all things she loved. I exhaled as she inhaled another puff of cancerous smoke, and she continued to glare at me.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

She didn't even hesitate to yip out a 'yes' to my question.

"I was on my way home . . . to you, now I knew that I would be safe in Tokyo. I was bringing back a few people who worked with me for a long time. A woman, her husband, and another man who was a close comrade of mine. You didn't meet him due a conflicting mission he was out on in China, but he was coming home to Tokyo with me. All I remember about him was that he was an Englishmen, a very funny one at that." I began my tale with a bit of information about everyone who was with me at the time of my death, it was still foggy in my mind like descriptions of the people, but I remembered the events.

"It was beginning to darken as it grew later, I knew Tokyo was still another half-hour or so away. So I pulled over and offered the wheel to let Jackson drive the vehicle, my comrade. Once we got out of the car we both stretched out, and were speaking outside to get some fresh air. Then I heard the first gunshot and felt it." I explained as I touched my own arm where I had been shot. If I concentrated hard enough I could feel the pain radiating throughout my arm. Akane was now turned towards me intently listening to my story, her cigarette was burned down to the butt and it still rested in her hand. I made a slight nod to her hand, and she gasped quickly and began to snub it out.

"As I was saying, I was shot. I fell to the ground, and heard the second shot followed by a thud. My best friend in my hellish rebel life was dead before me. He was shot in the head at point blank range. I looked up to see what had shot him until I laid eyes on the woman I had been transporting with us. She seemed familiar to me in a way. Her amber eyes, the pure white hair . . . it clicked right when she pulled the trigger. Shogo Makishimia's mother had been tracing me, she knew I murdered her son. So in turn, she killed me." I finished, and Akane went to embrace me however she realized that would be a lost cause. She cried harder, and slammed her hands on the table in front of her forcibly.

"Is she dead? Do you know?"

"She is dead."

"What killed her?"

"Ginoza . . ." I said slowly. "He knew I was coming back, once I didn't return. He went on a hunt for me, and found the abandoned car and both of us in it. He sent the Englishman's body back to his home country. He buried me by this old cherry blossom tree. It is still there." I realized I lost track of my story quickly so I cleared my throat, and returned to my tale.

"He tracked Makishimia's mother, and killed her. Her body was not buried as nicely as mine was." I concluded. Akane jumped up to her feet immediately, and rushed to grab the phone.

"I need to call, Ginoza! Now!"

"Akane, how would you explain the sudden knowledge of the exact circumstances of my death?" I asked without moving from my position.

"What if he has something of yours? I would like to have it."

I sighed with a heavy heart, and stood to correct her selfishness. I didn't need her to hoard more memories. I made my way over to her body, and towered over her small figure. "You have many things of mine. Memories, photos, tokens, and most of all you have me, here, right now."

I heard the click of her house phone resting back in its holder. She shook her head, and still I was wondering why she was still crying. "I'm sorry,"

"For what?" I retorted.

"I should've brought you with me! I should've stayed there! I should have never left your side." She exclaimed as she gazed at me with serious eyes. They were wide and unblinking at she yelled her emotions to the skies. I stepped closer to her, and was happy she didn't make a move to step back.

"Akane, you wouldn't have done what you did with me by your side. That was your quest to go alone, to free Tokyo."

"You freed Tokyo! You did the all work!"

"No, I didn't. I merely took out all the bad guys and exposed the system. You built the city from ground up. You helped these people survive, Akane. You were—are their hero." I stated. I sighed heavily, and took a step back from her slowly. Her eyes panicked as she saw me backing away.

"No! Don't go—"

"I'm not going anywhere. I just don't want to bicker about such trivial things." I interrupted her with a soft tone. She nodded with no more tears rushing from her eyes. I calmly stepped back towards her, and this time I let my hand try to touch her arm however it fell through. She rubbed the spot where I almost caressed her and sighed.

"Where do we go from here?" Her voice cracked with emotions floating through it. I myself didn't know the answer to that. I didn't want to set off her emotional state by saying something wrong. Instead I grinned and looked down at her meeting her brown eyes.

"You have a vehicle correct?" I questioned her. I could see she was stammering for a second before closing her eyes for a quick second, and then reopening them. She seemed much calmer after performing that movement.

"Yes, it's parked down in the lot outside." She explained.

"Get dressed, I want you to go somewhere." I said as I back away from her, and then shuffled over to her cluttered desk. She followed him graciously to her mess.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I can't go with you, but I can give you directions." I can sense her sudden fear again, and I held my hands up slightly and moved them in a defensive gesture. "But I will meet you there. I have other means of getting there."

I could see her nod, but kept her head down as I gave her detailed explanations on how to get to the exact location I wanted her to go to. She listened to every word I said, and wrote down the details to a tee. She moved swiftly away from me, and made her way to her bedroom in the back of the apartment. I could her the swishing of clothing as she changed her outfit, and I waited for her to retreat from her room. It wasn't too long before she crept out of her room. I was struck in awe at her still to this day at her beauty. She was one kind of a woman, my kind of woman.

The navy blue suit jacket she wore covered the sweeping flow of the sweater she was wearing. The cashmere sweater was dyed a dark caramel clung to her skin, and led down to the knee length skirt she was wearing—also navy blue to match her jacket. I grinned at her, and bowed slightly.

"Breath taking as always, Inspector." I finally got a hearty laugh from her, it had been quiet giggles, but now she laughed like her soul was in it. The blush crept to her face slowly, and it made my heart soar.

"I'll meet you there," She quipped as she glided past me, and began slipping her shoes on. I nodded as she sent me once last glance. She pursed her lips, and nodded before heading out the door.

I just hoped I would get there before her.

…

The wind blew softly against the bladed grass, it made a calming noise as I waited for Akane. The aroma of nature filled my nostrils and I could almost taste the sweet apples growing in the farm on the other side of the road. It was silent until I heard the roaring of an older car. I strained my eyes forward, and I could see the vehicle chugging its way north, towards me. The cherry blossoms above me floated downwards, and onto my lap creating a blanket almost. It was a real beautiful place for a grave if I must say so.

I stood up once the car halted next to the old cherry blossom tree, which had probably been there for hundreds of year withstanding everything. The war, the agony, and the love of everyone on the planet. I had to say it was a mighty strong tree. The car door closed shut with an echoless thud, and all I could hear was the sound of Akane's heels clicking against the pavement. She looked down to the soft grass, and smiled before slipping off her shoes again. Her feet padded on the grass until she ended up in front of me.

Her hair blew wildly in the wind, and I wished I would be able to reach out and touch her luscious hair. I knew it would be futile due to my current circumstances. She handled it on her own however, and brushed the annoying strand behind her ear. She sighed heavily as she took in the scenery. The cherry blossom still drifted towards the ground, and creating a frosting on top of the grass. She moved past me, and stood directly under the tree. She inspected the area with a keen eye before she noticed the slightly disturbed earth. The ground beneath her feet didn't have as much grass grown over and she could see a small stone resting at the foot of the tree.

"This is your grave, isn't it?" Her voice broke the pregnant silence around us. I simply nodded, and stepped closer to my resting place. I was slightly behind her and overlooking her shoulder. I could see the stone Ginoza placed there some time ago.

"Shinya Kougami, Liberator of the People." I heard Akane whisper as she read the tombstone before her. She fell to her knees once again, and I wanted to comfort her but there was no use. I was just as thick as the wind. Her cries was the only sound penetrating my ears and I could feel my own tears dripping out of my eyes. I knelt down next her and placed my hand on my tombstone. I had sat here many times pondering on what could have been or what Akane was doing at the very moment however I've had my time to grieve.

Akane hasn't.

She turned to me with large eyes filled with tears. The streaks down her face ended at the corners of her pout, and her bottom lip quivered with sadness. Her hand shook spastically as she reached out to caress the granite. Her hand petted the stone next to me, and all I wanted was to reach out and touch her. That was all I longed for. I let my hand make its way closer to her, and I could feel the energy radiating off her.

I tensed my entire body hoping—no praying, that this would work.

She gasped sharply when she realized we were actually holding hands. I breathed heavily as I felt the energy flow throughout me, I had done it. I had mustered enough energy everything around me. The wind had pushed my hand, the tree's strength had been my courage to do so, and Akane had been my cause. She grasped my hand harder, and looked at me with such sorrow.

"What's wrong?" I questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"I can't let you go. I don't want to."

I understood her meaning. I didn't want to let go of her including her delicate hand on top of mine. I heard the pitter patter of my tears rushing to meet head on with the tomb stone, and I could only imagine her own pain. She didn't have a body, a funeral, or even a goodbye. I squeezed her hand with purpose, and made sure she was gazing at me. The intensity of her eyes shook me to my very core, and made a few more tears run down my face at her sadness.

"You have to." I said with regret. I didn't want her to leave me, I didn't want to finally leave this world. I wanted to be with Akane forever, but I couldn't be selfish now. I had to be the man she deserved even in death. I dragged my thumb across her hand lovingly as she turned away from me. I knew she hated hearing the words that had to be spoken.

"You remember, Sasayama?" I spoke quietly. She pivoted her head back towards me, and nodded.

"His death tore me open inside. The first few days I could hardly function." The painful memories of his dismembered body arrived into my thoughts again, and I blinked them away rapidly. Akane noticed my distraught and rubbed my hand in return. "He was like a brother to me. Over the years we bonded, and I did the exact stupid thing he did. I went out on a revenge mission and got myself killed in the end and hurt someone I love. I'm a fool, Akane. I broke our promise, and I can never forget something like that. I am not worth the pain."

I could see the anger rise in her, she huffed quickly with rage. "How could you say that? You are important, Shinya. Your insecurities mean nothing anymore, you're dead." She gasped a bit at her comment, and covered her mouth with her own hand. "I'm sorry,"

"If anybody should be sorry it's me. Akane, I'm just saying I want you to live on. Find a man that is worth your time. I know Ginoza has got quite the crush on you." I hinted as I wiggled my eyebrows playfully to shake her from her depression. She scoffed with a grin.

"He just got out of that bad marriage with Mika."

"But he would be more suitable than what you have now."

She mulled it over in her mind from what I could see, but then she turned her attentions back towards myself. "Akane, there are so many options other than death. I am just trying to show you that there is more than drowning in your sorrows. I sunk to the bottom of my emotions, and look where it got me."

"You died avenging a lost friend."

"I died by the hands of a scorned mother and idiocy. I should've been more careful."

"You couldn't have known he still had family."

I gave in and agreed with her in a silent nod. I could feel the energy leaving me rapidly now, and I was growing quite drowsy. It was an odd feeling I had never felt. "I have to go soon, Akane."

Her body was different this time a depressing topic came up. At this moment I wish I could read her mind, but I knew what had been running through her mind—reality. I knew my words had somewhat healed the wounds of the past, but she would be forever haunted by them. She would have to nurse them herself for the rest of her life. I was just glad it was a world purged of false judgment and prejudice.

"Okay," she simply said. Her breath was still ragged as she exhaled. I let go of her hand, and I could hear her slight whimper. I let out a dry heave as I slowly pushed forward and pursed my lips so they could brush against her warm forehead. I mustered the last of my energy and held my lips there for a few moments as my tears raced down my cheeks. I could feel the tightening in my throat as I held back a sob.

She doesn't need me in her life anymore.

Stay here forever with me.

I will always love you.

Don't leave me, Akane.

My inner turmoil got the best of me, and I sobbed straight into her hair. I had never heard the noise escape my mouth ever. I knew that my entire body was corporeal as her arms wrapped around my abdomen. She wasn't crying anymore, it was her turn to comfort me. Her emotional shaking however alerted she was still not fully composed. I had never felt pain like this in my heart before as it felt like it was pounding rapidly. She shushed me like a mother would comfort her crying child.

"Akane . . ." I whimpered out as I sniffled, and pulled away from the embrace. I rested my forehead one last time against hers, and closed my eyes. The surroundings calmed me down, and once I had my breath under control I opened my eyes.

"Kougami, I am so proud of you." She sniffled a bit as she spoke. "You are a wonderful person who is missed and loved by all who surrounded you. However, you became so much more. You aren't just a liberator—you're a friend, lover, and idol to many."

I felt the tears coming back, but I held them back this time. I smiled at her whole heartedly, and caressed her face. She returned the gesture before standing. I was still on my knees as she hurriedly rushed to her car. She whipped open the door, and pulled a single crimson rose from the front of her seat and a pack of my favorite brand of cigarettes.

I let out a small laugh as she bounded back towards me, and rested them carefully onto the tombstone. She swiped the stone so it would be cleaner than before. She smirked at her work, and turned back towards me. I stood up with her, and made my way over to the cherry blossom tree. I let my shoulder rest against the hardened bark, and saluted her with a lazy hand.

"Goodbye, Shinya Kougami." She covered her mouth after saying her farewells. Her tears shined in the light, and her hair tossed graciously through the wind. It almost looked like a halo surrounding her angelic face. I chuckled lightly as she went to turn thinking I wasn't going to say anything.

"I'll see you later, Akane."

She stopped on her heel, and I swore I could hear the grin stretching across her face. The car started with a sputter, but then after a few revs it roared to life. As she made the U-turn in the middle of the road I raised my head and gazed at the kaleidoscope of petals above me. The pinks and reds blended together as my eyes drooped and shut completely surrounding my world with darkness.

…

It was another year, the same day as last. The anniversary of my death, but now it was a joyous day. Rice flew to and fro and the happy cheers of close friends erupted into the skies. I stood far away on the sidewalk, but I made sure she was able to spot me if she gazed hard enough. I knew right when her eyes landed on me. Her hair was even longer now and flowed endlessly down her back, the brown tresses littered with clips and bobby pins. The dress she wore was a piece of artwork by itself. It hugged her waist tightly and glittered in the sunlight as she made her way down the sidewalk. She clutched her new husband's arm tighter, and leaned up to whisper in his ear.

I felt like he could almost see me, but I knew it wasn't possible. The woman pointed in my direction, and he slowly tipped his head in a nod and a smile. I returned it to his wife, and she giggled with a wave as she was ushered into a car by the chauffer.

The ivory limousine made it's away from me as the tin cans clinked loudly on the rear end of the mobile car. People shouted out congratulations and salutations as Nobuchika and Akane Ginoza were swept away into their new life filled with more than enough love ahead of them.

…

Another year passed, and an important visit this one was. The slumbering adults snored heavily as they finally got a full nights rest. However I had no reason to bother them. The small bundle in the cradle below me slept quietly for the first time since he was brought home. His light breathing was soothing to my ears along with his mobile tinkering quietly above. The circle of sea animals raced above him to a slow melody. I grinned as the jellyfish swirled around, and softly tapped it with the end of my finger. I was so distracted by his toy that I didn't hear the slithering of a person behind me. However once I realized someone was in the room with me I knew exactly who it was.

"He's beautiful—just like his mother."

"Are you calling Nobu ugly?" She giggled as she came to stand next to me. I glanced at her quickly, and she was still as gorgeous as ever even more so after childbirth. It was my turn to now be proud of her turn around. Her gaze met mine and she returned the goofy smile I had on my face.

"What's his name?" I questioned as I turned my attentions back to the baby resting. His black tresses were strewn about wildly and his mouth was cracked open. His chubby cheeks vibrated with each breath, and I knew if I were able to pick him up I would never be able to put him down. He was perfection just as Akane was.

"Tomomi Shinya." She retorted with happiness in her voice. I whipped my head at her, and I could feel the emotions arising in me however I let them subside for now. I could frolic in my joys later—this was Akane's moment. The tiny baby twitched slightly, and then raised his hands above his head in a relaxed motion and calmly returned to dream land.

"Shinya?"

"Hmm?" I murmured without taking my vision off of the infant. Akane shifted on the balls of her feet as she conjured up the courage to speak up. In order to give her that tiny push I directed my attention towards her.

"Will you watch over him as you watch over me?"

It was a simple question however I knew it was hard for her to ask. She was a woman that never wanted to ask for help, but internally appreciated my guardianship. She shouldn't have even thought about asking because it wasn't a task for me, it was a duty. I glanced back to the sweet bundle slumbering away in his guarded castle, and then back to his mother—my queen.

"Always,"


End file.
